To Snarry or not to Snarry
by YenGirl
Summary: Severus Snape's two familiars have a mind of their own. The good news is, they both want him to find love. The bad news is, they don't agree on whom he should love. Pre-Snarry. Hopefully.
1. Chapter 1

**Author Notes: **Hello everyone and Happy Easter if you celebrate this day :) This isn't an Easter themed story, but an idea my daughter came up with, mixing my love for Snarry and her dislike for the same. This is the result... and still a work in progress.

**Appreciation: **My thanks goes to **Schattengestalt**, talented Snarry writer and good friend, whose wonderful story Furry Matchmaker was the basis for my daughter's inspiration.

**Summary: **Severus Snape's two familiars have a mind of their own. The good news is, they both want him to find love. The bad news is, they don't agree on whom he should love. Pre-Snarry. Hopefully.

**Warnings: **Two OCs, some OOCness, some fluff and a general disregard for the more serious incidents in canon.

**Rating: **'T'

**Disclaimer: **Harry Potter is the brainchild of JK Rowlings.

- Chapter Start -

"Severus belongs with him!" The gray kitten with velvety soft fur insisted, glaring at her friend.

"No, he doesn't!" The caramel coloured kitten with orange stripes glared right back.

"They belong together!"

"No, they don't!"

"Yes, they do!"

"No, they-"

"Ladies?"

Both felines immediately turned their heads towards the owner of that deep, rich voice. Slitted pupils expanded, narrowed eyes rounded and snarling mouths softened to emit innocent little mewls.

"What were you two going on about this time, hmm?" Severus asked. He crouched down and stroked their small heads with gentle fingertips, smiling as they rubbed against his hands, enjoying the attention.

"Don't try to distract me," he told them. "Today is bath day and you know it."

Both kittens looked up at once, Velvet with a reproachful expression and Caramel with one of glee.

Severus chuckled before a thoughtful look entered his eyes. Since his potions lab was sparkling clean and his store cupboard sorted for the week, perhaps a different sort of detention could be issued next?

Of course, it all depended on which student that would be since it would take place here, inside his personal quarters. All above board, but that didn't mean he wanted any Tom, Dick or -

_Harry._

Severus exhaled as a familiar face with bright green eyes under an unruly mop of black hair came to his mind's eye. Scowling, he stood up. Caramel and Velvet might enjoy Potter's company, but that wasn't something Severus wanted to encourage.

It was too risky.

- o -

It was almost time for the last class of the day - Double Potions for fifth year Gryffindors and Slytherins.

Harry sighed, dragging his feet as he, Ron and Hermione made their way to the dungeons. He had always dreaded Potions, but this year it was for an entirely different reason. During his first night back, he had discovered something about himself that suddenly made Potions both his most and least looked forward to class.

His crush on Professor Severus Snape.

His unexpected, unexplainable and completely _idiotic_ crush on the teacher who hated him the most. Apart from the gender issue, the notable age gap and the whole teacher-student thing, he was also unsure about the _why._

Snape wasn't easy on the eyes by any stretch of the imagination and had always treated him abominably besides. Harry supposed it had to be because of that one brief glimpse of the man a month ago, lasting no longer than half a minute and – oh God, just admitting it to himself was enough to turn Harry's cheeks scarlet.

"C'mon mate, you don't want to be late for Potions!" Ron's urgent voice broke through Harry's reverie and made him hasten his footsteps.

As luck would have it, Snape appeared to be in a foul mood when he swept into the classroom two minutes later, his robes billowing behind him. A quick flick of his wand caused a list of ingredients to appear on the board and then he stopped behind his desk and spun around, pinning the entire class with his piercing gaze.

"Anyone," he uttered in a sibilant whisper that was heard in the furthest corners of the now silent room, "who does not pay sufficient attention when brewing today's Draught of Peace shall suffer both point loss _and_ detention."

His eyes narrowed on Neville who squeaked before cutting to Ron who swallowed hard before ending at Harry who just blinked at him.

"Begin."

- o -

Snape might as well have asked Malfoy outright to botch his potion, Harry thought resentfully at the end of the lesson. The blond Slytherin, never one to let up on both opportunity and a short tempered Potions Master, had just tossed something into Harry's cauldron, causing the pale lilac liquid to curdle and turn an immediate rusty orange.

Harry glared at him before looking around, his heart sinking further when he spied various shades of pale coloured liquid in the other cauldrons. Even Neville's lemon yellow solution was nearer to their colour than his was.

"Well, well, well. Mr. Potter."

Harry swung back and found Snape looming over him with his botched potion between them, those thin lips twisted in a sneer. He almost took a step back, his heart giving a lurch at the man's sudden proximity.

"It looks like you will be the one helping me tonight." Despite his vindictive tone, Snape looked somewhat... resigned.

- o -

After a dinner of chicken and mushroom pie which he only picked at, Harry waved off a worried Ron and Hermione and made his way back to the dungeons. He found the door he had been given directions to after two wrong turns and ignored the raised eyebrows of the very old wizard in the portrait guarding it.

Taking a deep, fortifying breath, he knocked on the door, one part of him wondering what sort of detention had to take place in Snape's personal quarters while the other tried to decide if he was more nervous or excited by the fact. When the door opened without a sound, extending a silent invitation for him to enter, he took another breath and stepped inside.

Two high pitched meows from the direction of the floor pulled his gaze downward and then he smiled, his nervousness momentarily forgotten.

"Hello, Velvet, Caramel," he said softly and knelt down. The two kittens immediately climbed into his lap, mewling as if they were all alone in a cruel, uncaring world, left to fend for themselves.

Harry chuckled as he ran his fingers through their soft fur, ignoring the fact that he would have a few cat hairs clinging to his school robes after this. Snape's kittens were standoffish creatures, looking at everyone with arrogant eyes and disdaining clutching fingers, grabby hands and girlish squeals. Only their master was allowed to touch them... and the schoolboy fussing over them right now.

_Flashback to the first night of term a month ago..._

Harry and Ron ducked out the main entrance after the Welcoming Feast. Ron insisted he had dropped his dragonhide gloves while on the carriage ride to the castle. The gloves were quite worn through, having protected Bill and then Charlie's hands for years, but the memory of the Howler Molly Weasley sent in their second year convinced Harry and Ron it was worth the risk of being caught outside to look for them.

Luck was on their side; a few minutes' search and a quick _Accio_ found the errant gloves lying on the ground, looking like they had been badly trampled on. They were about to turn back when a soft cry for help had them walking another twenty feet where they found a small gray kitten lying on the ground with a caramel kitten fussing around her.

Harry dropped to his knees beside them and softened the glow of his lit wand. The two kittens looked warily up at him and Ron, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Hello," Harry said softly, "are you hurt?"

The gray kitten blinked up at him and then very slowly held out a paw, giving a soft meow of affirmation.

After taking a quick look at the bleeding paw, Harry scooped both kittens into his arms and stood up, ignoring their startled protests and Ron's "Mate, what are you doing? Whose kittens are they?"

Harry didn't know, but he was sure Hagrid would be more than willing to help and was still in the Great Hall. That was good otherwise going all the way to his hut would almost certainly end in both him and Ron being caught out of doors.

Unfortunately, a different member of staff greeted them at the open doors of the castle, booted feet apart and arms crossed over his chest, a triumphant look on his dour face. Harry felt his full stomach fall to his feet.

"Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley. Wanting to lose points for your House a bit earlier this year?"

The mocking voice froze Harry and Ron to the spot, the former berating himself for following Ron and the latter thinking of the Howler that would surely arrive tomorrow. Before they could say anything, there was a shrill meow from Harry's arms and the caramel kitten leapt at Snape.

"What - Caramel, where have you been? Where's Velvet?"

A second meow sounded from Harry's arms. He instinctively held the gray kitten out to Snape who took it from him with unexpected gentleness, cool fingers brushing over Harry's own.

For the next half minute or so, Snape examined the tiny paw the kitten held out in the light of a soft _Lumos_, seemingly oblivious to his astonished audience. Ron's blue eyes were bugging out at the sight of the intimidating Potions Master with one kitten in an arm and the other draped over his shoulder. Harry's green eyes were equally wide at the sight of a Snape he had never seen before, those thin fingers holding the kitten with utmost gentleness, the cruel mouth uttering soft, reassuring noises.

Then Snape looked up and his face morphed back into his cold, expressionless mask.

"Where did you find them?"

"Ouutside, on the grounds."

"And what were you doing outside when you should already be in Gryffindor Tower?"

"I had dropped my dragonhide gloves, sir," Ron answered.

Black eyes flicked down to the old gloves clutched in Ron's fist and the thin lips twisted in derision.

"Those, Mr. Weasley? Are you sure you did not mistake them for Filch's cleaning rags?"

When Ron turned red, Harry quickly cut in. "I'm sorry, sir. We'll go now."

"I have not dismissed you, Mr. Potter. You were caught breaking a rule that was put in place to safeguard the students. I wonder what Professor McGonagall will say when she finds out that her precious Seeker has already lost points on his first night back?"

Harry felt his face turn red as well and gritted his teeth to avoid saying something he knew he would regret. This was the Snape he knew, not the look alike fussing over an injured kitten.

"Ten points from Gryffindor," Snape announced, "and deten-"

"But we found your kittens!" Harry protested, his full stomach squirming and falling to the ground again at the thought of telling his fellow Gryffindors that he had lost points they hadn't even earned yet.

"That does not excuse you from going outside," Snape hissed, "and you did not go out to find them."

"But-"

"Meow!"

Snape's eyebrows went up and he looked down at the gray kitten. She seemed to be glaring up at him and so was the caramel coloured kitten on his shoulder.

"Shush. They were outside," he told them.

"Meowr!"

"And it is after curfew."

"Meowrr!" Velvet sounded adamant as she waved her injured paw in his face, Caramel meowing her agreement from his shoulder.

Snape glared at them and they glared right back. He sighed.

"Do not make me regret this," he said and looked up. The sight of Harry and Ron staring at him with eyes wide and mouths opened made him scowl.

"Go."

Harry and Ron gaped at him and traded disbelieving glances. Then they took a step to the side.

"Me-eooow?"

Snape's lips twisted again, this time looking as if he had just sucked on something sour.

"And ten points to Gryffindor for finding my kittens," he gritted out before his voice rose to a near shout. "Now, go!"

Harry and Ron fled, not needing to be told twice.

_End of flashback..._

"Mr. Potter."

Harry's head jerked up at once, startled green eyes first latching onto polished boots before going up long legs encased in black trousers leading up to narrow hips and a snowy white shirt. He gulped upon encountering those black eyes; Snape seemed so much taller when viewed from a crouched position on the floor.

"What are you waiting for? Bring them to the bathroom."

"Yes, sir." Harry stood up and looked around him, but the two kittens had vanished. "Uhm..."

A teasing little meow from the direction of the sofa had him turning to see Caramel's head peeping out from under it. It was followed by another meow coming from the direction of an open door where Velvet's head could be seen.

"I will get Caramel," Snape said in a long suffering voice. "You get Velvet. _Accio_ Caramel."

A startled yowl was followed by Caramel zooming out from under the sofa and landing in Snape's hand, her little stomach resting squarely on his palm. She looked up at him with a grumpy pout, four tiny paws and a tail dangling in midair.

Harry's lips twitched despite himself. He dived across the room causing Velvet to utter a squeak before disappearing.

Too late, Severus realised his mistake.

"Potter, wait! That's my bedroom!"

- Chapter End -

**A/N: Thank you for reading! Worth continuing? Let me know :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author Notes:** Hello again! Thank you for the alerts and favs, and for the wonderful reviews! As mentioned before, this is an experiment mixing my preference with my daughter's. She's the co-author of this story. Enjoy :)

**Warnings:** Two OCs, some OOCness, some fluff and a general disregard for the more serious incidents in canon.

- Chapter Start -

_"Potter, wait! That's my bedroom!"_

It was indeed. Harry found himself staring at a large four poster bed just a few feet in front of him, draped with green hangings that proclaimed its owner's House.

He was in Snape's bedroom!

_Snape's_ bedroom!

Snape's _bedroom!_

"What are you staring at?" Snape barked at him from the doorway. "Get Velvet and come out at once!"

Harry blinked, reminded of why he was in here in the first place. Two round golden eyes blinked back at him from a pool of gray on the green bedspread.

"Well, what are you waiting for? An invitation?"

"No, sir!" Harry rushed to the bed and bent down, scooping Velvet into his arms and holding her tightly against his chest in case she tried to escape. He turned back to see Snape's eyebrows shooting up and his mouth falling open before snapping shut.

Looking down, Harry realised two things.

One - the soft gray mass in his arms wasn't a kitten, but a man's shirt. Nightshirt, to be exact. Snape's nightshirt.

Two - it had evidently been worn before because it smelled - oh God! - like the man himself.

"Potter, what are you _doing?_" Snape sounded like he was being strangled.

Harry's head jerked up and he quickly yanked down his hand - stupid, traitorous limb! - that was pressing a gray sleeve to his nose. His face flushed red.

"Were you smelling that!" Snape thundered. He looked outraged, but his face had turned the same shade of red.

Before Harry could squeak out an indignant and completely untruthful 'Of course not!', Velvet's small head popped up from a fold of the nightshirt and looked from him to Snape and back again.

"Meee-oo-ww?" she uttered and tipped her head to one side, eyes sparkling as if getting Harry to hug Snape's nightshirt _and_ sniff it had been her idea all along.

"Velvet!" Harry exclaimed and Snape growled at the same time.

"Meow!" That was Caramel, leaping from Snape to Harry and landing on the same nightshirt. She wobbled a little as she turned around to face Velvet.

"Meow?" (_What?)_

"Meow." (_You got Harry to sniff Severus' nightshirt on purpose!)_

"Meow!" (_But of course!)_

"Meowr!" (_How dare you!)_

As the two kittens engaged in a baffling argument with glaring and meowing, Harry looked over their heads at Snape.

"Uhm," he began, but Snape held up a hand.

"Just bring them out," the Potions Master said in the same long suffering voice as before and when Harry took an automatic step forward, "but for Merlin's sake, put down my nightshirt first!"

"Oh! Right."

Blushing again, Harry turned back to the bed and deposited the nightshirt carefully on the mattress, taking the opportunity to snatch a final, surreptitious sniff. The two kittens immediately tumbled onto the bed, still meowing and baring their tiny teeth at one another. Caramel stayed at the side of the bed, but Velvet started backing away towards the headboard.

"Velvet, come here, girl," Harry coaxed.

She shook her head, giving him another mischievous look as she backed further away.

"Come _here_," Harry insisted, aware of Snape watching his every move from the doorway.

When Velvet took another step back, Harry gingerly put a knee on the edge of the mattress and lunged forward with his arms outstretched. Velvet jumped nimbly aside and he found his arms closing around something rectangular instead.

"Potter! That's my pillow!"

Almost purple with embarrassment, Harry turned his head to the side and found himself looking at Velvet's positively gleeful face, Snape's outraged one behind her. Then another face blocked both of theirs - a disgruntled Caramel was pushing her paw against Harry's chin, trying to lift his face up off the pillow.

"Meowr!" she scolded him.

"OK, OK. I'm getting up," Harry told her.

"Meowr!" Velvet pushed Caramel's paw down with a disapproving shake of her head as if deploring her friend's poor manners. She then turned to Harry and tilted her head invitingly towards Snape's pillow, looking gleeful again.

"Meow!" Caramel bumped against Velvet, trying to push her away, but the gray kitten stood her ground. And with that, the two of them started pushing and shoving at each other, tumbling off the pillow.

"Potter!"

Harry quickly released the pillow and pushed himself to sit up just as Caramel and Velvet disappeared off the side of the bed. He gulped, Snape was marching towards him, his face like a thundercloud.

"Potter, of all the dunderheaded things - get off my bed this instant! If the Headmaster gets to know about - agh - what-"

Snape looked down and lifted first one leg and then the other, looking as if he were doing some sort of weird dance. Two startled meows sounded from the floor, Snape's arms started windmilling and then he suddenly pitched forward.

Harry squeaked and threw himself to the side just in time - Snape landed face down beside him, his face buried in the same pillow Harry had been hugging earlier.

Argument forgotten, Caramel and Velvet immediately jumped back up on the bed and made their way to their master's head. Two tiny paws reached out in unison and patted the long black hair.

"Meow?"

"Meow?"

Snape turned his head to the side and glared at them through the curtain of his greasy hair, ignoring Harry for the moment.

"Give me one good reason why I should _not_ turn you two into potion ingredients," he muttered.

When Caramel and Velvet just meowed and patted his hair again, this time in a 'there there' manner, Snape buried his face in the pillow with a muffled groan.

Harry sat up again and grinned, enchanted by the sight. His grin disappeared when Snape suddenly pushed himself up, causing both kittens to stumble backwards in surprise and land in Harry's lap.

Sliding off the bed, Snape stood up and shook back his long hair. He looked down at Harry, his face a cold and expressionless mask once more.

"Bring them to the bathroom. _Now._"

- o -

Harry had the foresight to remove his school robes, tossing them carelessly onto the back of an armchair before entering the bathroom near the main door, a kitten in each hand. A tub half filled with soapy water stood on the tiled floor and Snape was leaning against the opposite wall, arms folded across his chest. One black eyebrow rose at the sight of Harry's school shirt and trousers and the thin lips twisted in a sneer.

"It is just a simple bath, Potter. Surely you can manage that much with your robes on? Well, no matter. Put the kittens in the tub."

"Yes, sir."

Even as Harry crouched down, Caramel and Velvet twisted free of his hold and scooted up his arms. From his shoulders, they climbed onto his head, tiny claws digging in to keep their balance.

"Ouch, stop that! What are you do-" A sharper prick of claws digging into his scalp was followed by the sight of Caramel falling face down and spreadeagled into the tub, her deliberate belly flop creating a wave of warm, soapy water that drenched Harry's face and shirt.

"Caramel!" Gasping and coughing, he felt more more pinpricks in his scalp and squinted through his wet glasses to see a gray blur launching itself at Snape and landing on his chest.

"Velvet! You are supposed to take a bath!" Snape marched over to the tub, trying to pry a determined kitten off his shirt.

Smirking at the sight, Harry didn't see Caramel climbing out of the tub until she jumped up onto his knee, creating a wet patch on his trousers.

"Hey! What are you-" she had made it up to his shoulder, "no, don't you dare-" and his head, "do another div- argh!"

Harry sputtered as another wave of water hit him, drenching him again. A startled noise had him turning his head to see Snape crouched down beside him and looking equally wet. Green eyes widened as they took in the sight of soapsuds dripping off Snape's chin and the end of his nose before trailing down a long pale neck and white shirt, now rendered kittenless, clinging and transparent.

Harry's eyes widened further, but Snape quickly shot up into a standing position as if someone had lit a fire under him.

"You - stop gaping at me." That was directed at Harry. "You - into the tub." That was for Velvet who was now trying to hide behind it. "You - stay in there." That was for Caramel who was half climbing out of the tub in preparation for another dive.

The two kittens pouted where they were and Harry stood up uncertainly, trying not to stare at Snape's chest and failing miserably. Snape's arms jerked in a vague motion as if he wanted to shield himself from that fascinated stare, his face turning red again.

"The kittens, Potter!"

"Oh! Right."

Harry turned back to the tub where a pouting Velvet sat on her haunches beside it while inside, Caramel tread water and blew soap bubbles from her front paws.

"Alright, enough playing, you two," he muttered. It hadn't escaped his notice that Caramel seemed at home in the water while Velvet was afraid of it. He picked Velvet up with both hands and lowered her carefully into the tub.

The moment her tail touched the water, she gave a violent twitch and shot out of his hands with a yowl only to fall into the tub with a splash. Leaping out of the water, she clung to the side of the tub, front paws hooked over the edge and back paws and tail scrunched up under her. She glared up at Harry, blowing a long stream of soap bubbles out her tiny nose.

"Sorry!" Harry exclaimed, but his apology was drowned out by a triumphant meow. Still treading water, Caramel pointed a dripping paw at her unfortunate friend and let out a long, high pitched mewl that sounded like delighted snickering. She fell onto her back and sank below the soapsuds, leaving four tiny paws and a tail waving furiously in the air, signalling her amusement.

Sensing her chance to escape, Velvet scooted up the side of the tub, but Harry's quick eye caught her movement.

"Oh no, you don't," he said, his left hand shooting out to where she was. A larger hand knocked into his a second later, pressing his palm against the side of the tub - Snape apparently had had the same idea Harry had - and with a surprised mewl, Velvet tumbled backwards into the water.

Caramel had surfaced in time to see the whole incident. She let loose another long mewl of laughter, circling around Velvet who was treading water awkwardly while blowing more soap bubbles out of her nose. Hissing in annoyance, Velvet jumped onto her laughing friend and the resultant splash landed on Snape and Harry again.

When Harry tried to move his hand to wipe his face, he realised it was still trapped against the side of the tub.

"Uhm... sir? Could I have my hand back?"

Snape's scowl of realisation could have curdled milk. He snatched his hand back as if Harry's had burned him and stood up.

"Finish their bath as fast as you can," he ordered and spun around on his heel. The bathroom door closed firmly behind him.

In the sudden silence, Harry looked back at the kittens who had stopped trying to drown each other and were staring back up at him, small ears drooping at their master's sudden departure.

"Yeah, well, you're not the only one," Harry muttered. Somehow, he wasn't surprised when the rest of the bath ended without anymore incidents.

- o -

When Harry emerged from the bathroom half an hour later with two clean and damp kittens in his arms, he saw Snape sitting in the armchair by the fire, reading a book. His school robes were neatly folded and placed on the coffee table.

Snape looked up, black eyes going from the towel dried kittens - their fur standing up in all directions - to the drenched schoolboy holding them. He put down his book and got up in one fluid motion, picking up Harry's robes before going over to him.

"Your detention has ended, Potter," he said coldly. "You may leave."

Harry nodded, reaching out a hand to take his robes and then he saw the dark gaze drop to his chest and stay there. A muscle twitched in Snape's jaw and he mouthed something, causing a wave of wonderful heat to flow over Harry, drying his hair, his clothes and the two kittens whose fur stuck up even more.

"Go."

Harry nodded.

"Goodnight, you two," he said softly and rubbed his cheek against the tops of Caramel and Velvet's heads, smiling when they meowed softly. "Be good now."

"Give them to me."

Harry handed the kittens over, his breath hitching when those long cool fingers brushed over his own, just like they had on his first night back.

"Goodnight, sir," he said, not expecting an answer and not receiving one.

Turning around, he opened the door and walked out, but the swath of golden light did not disappear, his shadow looming before him on the floor as he moved further and further away from Snape's quarters.

Just before he turned the corner, two tiny meows had him looking over his shoulder. Snape was already closing the door, but Harry caught a final glimpse of that tall, familiar outline of long hair and broad shoulders, the stern picture softened by two shapes on either shoulder, each topped with a small head and even smaller ears.

Smiling to himself, Harry rounded the corner and went up the stairs.

- Chapter End -

**A/N: Thank you for reading. Please review :)**


End file.
